WRC
Stage of the Year: Meet the 2025 Nominees
Several stages stood out across the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship season for their difficulty, drama and the moments they created.
As voting opens for WRC.com’s Stage of the Year award, here are the four contenders.
01
Ouninpohja – Secto Rally Finland
Few stages define WRC quite like Ouninpohja. The high-speed classic returned as the centrepiece of Secto Rally Finland’s 2025 finale, with two Sunday runs - including the Wolf Power Stage - deciding the event. Fast, technical and relentlessly committed, the stage asked for precision at full attack and delivered a fitting backdrop to Kalle Rovanperä’s first home victory. It was a reminder of why Ouninpohja remains one of the sport’s most revered roads.
02
SS16 Asfan – Rally Saudi Arabia
The WRC’s first visit to Saudi Arabia produced some of the most punishing kilometres of the season, and SS16 Asfan captured that intensity in full. Rough desert gravel, long straights, soft sand sections and visibility issues combined to create a stage that pushed crews and cars to the limit. Martiņš Sesks suffered two punctures and engine trouble, Takamoto Katsuta rolled in deep sand, and multiple drivers fought through thick dust clouds. Punctures, time swings and raw survival defined a stage that instantly set the character of the championship’s newest rally.
03
SS16 Avançon / Notre-Dame-du-Laus - Rallye Monte-Carlo
Monte-Carlo’s reputation for unpredictability was on full display on Sunday morning’s SS16. A thin layer of black ice caught out several crews, with both Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta retiring after separate crashes. Tyre gambles shaped the loop as drivers navigated inconsistent grip, frost patches and rapidly changing surface conditions. Even the frontrunners were cautious, with Sébastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville emphasising survival over outright risk. It was a classic Monte stage: tricky, technical and decisive in setting the tone for the rally’s final leg.
04
SS14 Sleeping Warrior - Safari Rally Kenya
Safari Rally Kenya delivered its most dramatic moment when heavy rain arrived for the second pass of Sleeping Warrior. Conditions deteriorated corner by corner, producing huge gaps and moments of pure endurance. Takamoto Katsuta delivered a stunning drive to win the stage by 15.3sec and take 1m31.8s out of Ott Tänak in one run, despite a sideways moment through flooded ruts that ended with a cactus lodged in the car. Kalle Rovanperä reached the finish second-fastest but with rear-suspension damage, while Elfyn Evans spun in standing water and several crews battled misted windscreens. It was Safari at its most unpredictable - a stage that transformed the complexion of the rally.
VOTE NOW
Fans can now cast their vote for the 2025 Stage of the Year by clicking here. Winners will be revealed in early January.
